


Worth

by ragewerthers



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F3S, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, The beginning of a brotherhood!, but also some light moments, some intense moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 05:49:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19823827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragewerthers/pseuds/ragewerthers
Summary: Regis can't stand his father's new bodyguard Cor Leonis.  He's too young, too inexperienced and too much of a stick in the mud for the young Prince.However, the worth of a person can't be measured in outward appearances alone.





	Worth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bgn846](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn846/gifts).



> This is for a prompt from my friend @bgn846 and a fantastic prompt she gave me for our F3S!!!
> 
> Her prompt was: Random thought what if when Cor was working as Mors bodyguard Regis didn’t like him until he saved his life or something and then there were BFF’s forever. 
> 
> This was intense to write and I hope I was able to convey all the feelings I had when I read the prompt!
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr at: ragewerthers.tumblr!
> 
> Happy reading!!!

Regis snorted himself awake as he sat beside his father in the Council room.

Gods, but this was the most boring meeting he’d been to in a long time. He couldn’t help but to let his mind wander now and again. What 21 year old wasn’t allowed to daydream while doing something they found tedious? Granted… most twenty somethings didn’t have quite the weight on their shoulders as he did or needed to stay focused quite as intently as he should’ve been… but that was for future Regis to worry about. The here and now Regis was debating if he could warp strike over Councilman Nevus’s head and out into the hallways without anyone noticing.

Half the members in attendance today were already nodding off, the other half doodling in lieu of taking actual notes pretending that they were honestly interested in the change in fertilizers being used in Duscae for the upcoming harvest seasons and what it meant for trade with Insomnia.

Regis actually found himself smiling a bit in amusement at the scene, letting his gaze move around the room and taking in everyone’s inattentive features until his eyes landed on  _ him. _

Cor Leonis. One of the youngest, if not the youngest, members to ever join and rise up the ranks of the Crownsguard. He was only sixteen, but had already accomplished more than half the men twice his age.

And Regis couldn’t stand him.

There was just something so… off about him. Regis had never once seen Cor crack a smile. Never seen him with his guard down or joking. Never seen him as anything other than a silent, brooding figure always stood to the right of his father, King Mors.

Mors had seen something in the kid, and granted he did have some qualifications behind him, but honestly! How could his father think that some… sixteen year old punk had the merit and strength to protect him and stand as one of the King’s bodyguards?

Regis could tell he was glaring, perhaps he even hoped that Cor would notice and react or do  _ something _ , but he never so much as got a single twitch out of him.

Grumbling a bit to himself he was only drawn out of his stupor when he felt a nudge to his side. Glancing to his left he noted the subtle look Clarus was giving him and sighed, refocusing on listening to all of these fertilizer changes.

Surely one clean warp strike would get him out of the room… two if Councilman Nevus shifted to the left...   


\----------------------------

“I can’t feel my legs, Clarus,” Regis groaned as he and his Shield stood just outside of the council room. The meeting had only just adjourned and there was a slight chance that both of his legs and possibly one buttcheek were never going to get the feeling back in them ever again.

Clarus snorted at the dramatics, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Obviously you can or you wouldn’t have been able to walk out of there, your Highness,” he pointed out simply, making Regis scowl over at him as he leaned against the wall just beside the open doors.

“There is no length I wouldn’t go to get out of there, even if it meant hobbling out on legs that don’t work,” Regis shot back.

Clarus only hummed before quirking an eyebrow at him. “You were thinking of warping out of there again weren’t you?” he asked in a tone that said he could read Regis like a book.

“And what if I was? Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have joined me,” Regis said lightly, earning a little snort from his friend.

“I’m your Shield, Regis. Obviously I would’ve followed you. Nitwit that you are,” the man joked in return.

Regis opened his mouth to retort only to quiet himself as he watched his father exit the room to head toward his main office. His eyes instantly narrowed as he watched Cor Leonis follow, trailing just behind his father as they moved away.

“You’re doing it again,” Clarus remarked simply, startling the prince from what he was doing if for only a moment before a lighter scowl made its presence known.

“Doing what? I’m not doing anything,” he replied, waving a dismissive hand in the air before beginning to follow the same path his father had just taken down the hall so that they could head to the elevators.

“You know what I mean. You were giving Cor that ‘look’ again. The one you were giving him in the councilroom. The one you give him every time you two are within a ten foot radius of one another. What have you got against him? He’s just a kid?” Clarus asked, inadvertently hitting on the crux of the problem and making Regis bristle.

“That’s the exact reason! He’s a kid! A… a  _ teen _ ! And yet my father thinks he is completely capable of protecting him and willing to put his life in the hands of a child and what’s worse! What’s worse, Clarus, is that the kid thinks he can do it!”

“You’ve heard of what he’s done. The kids got heart and skill. Just because he’s young shouldn’t take away from what he’s accomplished, Regis,” Clarus tried to reason, but the Prince was having none of it.

Regis merely snorted and lifted his chin a bit higher, unable to take the words to heart after the impression he had already cemented in his mind of Cor.

“All I’m saying is that while he has indeed done a few things in his time in the Crownsguard there are people with far more experience and far more merit who would be better at protecting my Father. You have to admit that I’m right on this point, Clarus. There are bigger, stronger, tougher soldiers with more military background who would be far more adept at the job then… that kid.”

Sadly, Clarus really didn’t have a rebuke for this because it was true that there were more seasoned soldiers who could do the job that Mors had given to Cor.

Seeing that no comment was forthcoming, a cocky little smile appeared over Regis’s lips and he chuckled. “See? Even you have to admit I’m right sometimes,” he joked. Though after scoring a point in this little argument he couldn’t help but to speak his mind a little more.

“I’m surprised my Father’s kept him around for so long. I know that if it were me I’d have gone mad being followed around by someone with the emotional range of a stump. I mean… I’ve never so much as seen him crack a smile or say anything other than ‘Yes, Majesty’. Really, I can’t think of a larger bore than Cor Leoni-...”

Just as they were rounding the corner, Regis found himself almost face to face with the very person he’d been making comments on and glaring at for the better part of the afternoon.

Cor took a quick step to the side, allowing for the quick adjustment of them suddenly appearing and keeping them from colliding.

Regis had actually balked at the sudden appearance and had stopped mid sentence. Obviously it wasn’t princely behaviour to make such comments out and about where anyone could hear you, but surely the kid hadn’t heard him, right?

The problem was that Cor’s expression held the same seriousness that it always did. No mirth, no anger, no sadness, just that stony expression that looked foreign and odd on such a young face.

“Your Highness,” the young soldier greeted with a bow. “His Majesty wishes to speak with you about the upcoming Sylleblossom Festival to be held in Somnus Park this upcoming week. He requests your presence in his offices.”

“Oh… uh… yes. Of course. Thank you,” Regis got out after his moment of shock and slight embarrassment.

With another bow, Cor pardoned himself from their presence before making his way back down the hallway from which he’d come on the King’s errand leaving Clarus and Regis to stand staring at his retreating back.

Regis could feel the moment Clarus’s eyes were turned back on him and he growled slightly in his chest. “Don’t give me that look, Clarus. How was I supposed to know he was just around the corner?” he sniped, looking over to see his Shield practically glowering at him.

“What if he heard what you were saying?” Clarus asked after a moment, only getting a little huff from his Prince.

“I doubt it. Apart from having little to no personality I doubt he actually has feelings to hurt. If a bodyguard can’t stand up to a critique then he definitely can’t stand up for anything. Now, let’s get to my father’s study before he sends that kid to come looking for us again,” he said, trying to brush off the incident, though the sickly feeling of guilt was already easily settling in his stomach like a rock.

Perhaps his penance for saying such things out in the open for anyone to hear would be having to go and talk to his Father about the speeches they were to make at this upcoming festival.

Sadly as they continued to walk toward his Father’s office in silence he knew that he’d made an error, but he was far too proud to own up to it.

Besides… was he really so wrong in what he said?

\----------------------------------------------

The day of the Sylleblossom Festival was one that the majority of Insomnia loved to attend. It was always held in early summer, the streets lined with even more vendors selling everything from flower shaped hats, to stuffed animals, to foods that were far too unhealthy for any normal person to eat on a regular basis.

There was also a carnival set up in the center of Somnus park with rides, games and all sorts of attractions to draw the attention of Insomnian citizens. All in all it was a celebration for celebrations sake. A time to just have fun and enjoy the day without worry.

However, even with all of the frivolity of the day there were still certain royal duties that had to be held. One of which was a speech to be given by both the King and his son to their citizens, mostly thanking them for all that they had done for Insomnia and giving a days pardon to all to simply go out and have a little fun. It wasn’t that anyone needed an official pardon from their job to come and enjoy the festival, but there was a certain thrill from hearing a king tell you that you were allowed to miss work, for even one day, to enjoy yourself.

Currently, King Mors was in the middle of his speech, commenting on a few things that had the crowd chuckling and even bringing a little smile to Regis’s lips.

Glancing over the Prince caught sight of Cor, his face still as expressionless as ever as he stared out into the crowd.

Seeing such an expression Regis couldn’t help but to think that a day like today was utterly wasted on someone like him. He probably couldn’t wait for all of this to be over with so that he could go back to being a statue by his Father’s side.

However, the sound of something strange caught his attention and he turned his head back toward his Father.

It had sounded like those little firework poppers that children throw onto the street that snap and crackle, utterly harmless, but by the way things progressed, Regis soon found out that he was horribly mistaken.

In the blink of an eye, his Father’s Shield had instantly rushed to the front as screams rose up from the crowd below.

Regis watched as Mors was pushed down to the ground by his Shield as shouts began to rise up from the surrounding Crownsguard. The soldiers in attendance on the balcony around him were shouting, calling for backup or simply calling out to each other as chaos continued to build around them.

Lost for a second in the commotion, Regis instantly stood up from his seat, moving forward quickly to check on his Father. He didn’t notice the red dot lined up on his chest, he didn’t register the look of fear on his Father’s face as the man looked up to see him coming closer nor did he hear the shout from Clarus behind him to get down.

The only thing that registered was the fact that something had just slammed into his side like a freight train and he was unceremoniously tackled onto the ground, his head dizzy from the quick upheaval as he tried to figure out what the  _ fuck  _ had just happened?!

Looking around he could still see people running for cover and he could see his Father struggling to get out from the cover his Shield to get to them. He himself tried to move and found himself pinned and only then did he register that he was being covered by Cor and not just that, the kid was complete dead weight on him.

Regis’s eyes widened as he saw the blooming red starting to spread out from Cor’s shoulder, his head trying to register what was happening even as he found himself incapable of doing so much as shout for help or for someone to get a medic.

But just as quickly as this first bout of chaos happened, a second one was quick to follow.

Confirmations that the gunman had been taken down began to flood into the small balcony and soon a flurry of movement happened all at once. Guards moving forward to help lift Cor and carry him back into the building as the King’s Shield and Clarus began to try and get the royals up and into the building as well.

“Regis?! Regis are you alright? What he fuck were you thinking running toward the balcony like that?!” Clarus shouted at him, but Regis still felt dazed. Everything had happened so fast and now it all seemed to slowly be coagulating together. Looking down at himself and the red that had seeped into his clothing he felt sick. He looked between his closest friend and the door before shaking his head, opening his mouth to speak as no words came out.

Clarus shook his head and helped him up, covering him in case there was another threat and leading him down a back staircase toward vehicles ready to carry the royals back to the Citadel.

“What…. What just…,” Regis tried to speak, but all coherent thought seemed to be sapped from him as Clarus bustled him into a waiting vehicle before quickly sliding in next to him.

“Cor Leonis just saved your life is what happened,” Clarus growled out, slamming the door shut as the driver of the car instantly sped off toward safety. “That soldier you found lacking just took a bullet for you without a second thought. Do you dare want to tell me again why you find him so unfit for his position?!”

Regis flinched at the tone of his Shield. Clarus’s words were sharp, fueled by adrenaline, but Regis took no fault with them. The man was right. Cor Leonis… the  _ kid _ he’d said had no place being by his Father’s side, the  _ kid  _ he’d mocked a few days ago… had just put his life on the line for him without a second thought.

The guilt and shame from days ago that had settled itself in his chest blossomed into complete shame at his past words.

How could he have been so crass? So rude? So shortsighted as to denounce someone like that?

Now all he could do was pray that he got the chance to make up for his past transgressions.

\----------------------------------------------

It was days after the attack before Regis was given permission to go to the medical ward.

After arriving back to the Citadel after the attack they’d only been able to get little tidbits of information here and there on Cor as the most pressing matter at hand had been trying to figure out the motive and if others may be involved.

Eventually they’d gotten word that Cor had been transferred from emergency surgery and was in the ICU to recover. The bullet had passed through his right shoulder, but blood loss had almost been his downfall.

Now, with Clarus following nearby, Regis made his way toward the young soldiers hospital room. He’d been moved from the ICU a day ago and the doctors had been keeping them updated as to his condition. It appeared he would make a full recovery though his right arm was probably going to be out of commission for awhile. Rest followed by physical therapy were on order for him, but the doctors all agreed that there was a promising outlook for his future.

Standing outside his room, Regis paused, unsure exactly what he was going to say when he entered or how it was going to be received.

Clarus’s temper had calmed since a few days ago as well and now as he stood beside his friend he offered a little smile.

“Go on. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the gesture,” Clarus offered kindly as Regis felt unease taking over his chest.

“Ah yes… what bedridden person doesn’t want to see someone who spoke ill of them while they’re recovering?” he said sarcastically, before feeling a hand lightly cuff the back of his head and making him look at the Shield with a narrowed expression.

“Quit sulking and get in there. I think this little meetings been a long time coming. I wish it was under different circumstances, but… this is where we’re at now. So get your royal butt in there and make things right or so help me our next few sparring lessons are going to be the things of nightmares,” Clarus warned, a smile on his face though his eyes warned that he meant every single word.

With a little gulp, Regis nodded before taking a deep breath and entering the room, only to be met by the sound of grumbling.

Brow furrowed he closed the door behind him and wondered if perhaps he was interrupting another persons visit in which case he would apologize and leave as soon as possible. But as he made his way closer he could see who… or rather what the young soldier was having an argument with.

Cor was sat on the edge of his hospital bed, back facing the door as he held a shirt with his good hand and berated it for apparently not bending to his will to get over his head and his shoulders. It was no wonder it couldn’t. Aside from only being able to work with only one hand the gauze and bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest only immobilized him more. As Regis took in the sight he also saw that the young soldiers back was lined with scars that he never would’ve expected.

That’s when he remembered the stories of Cor going to the Tempering Grounds, facing down Gilgamesh, the first Shield to the Kings of Lucis. It was one thing to hear stories about such an endeavor… it was another to see firsthand what such an endeavor had cost.

Regis felt his stomach lurch and he must’ve made a noise of some kind, perhaps as he’d taken a step back to let Cor have his moment, because soon piercing blue eyes were trained on him and for the first time in his memory he saw something other than that stony, unwavering expression he’d grown to associate with Cor.

In that one moment he saw surprise, shame, pain and anger all wash over the young man’s before being replaced by that mask of nothing that he wore in his every day.

“Y-Your Highness. I apologize,” Cor said as he made to stand. Regis quickly stepped forward and shook his head.

“No, no! You have nothing to apologize for. Please, don’t… I mean… just take it easy,” he tried to placate. Gods he was bad at this.

Cor watched as the Prince moved forward, but something about his demeanor seemed even more guarded than Regis could remember. Clearing his throat, the Prince tried again.

“What… are you doing anyway? The doctors said that you were on bedrest for the next few days and that you should keep movement to a minimum,” he said as he went to stand next to a chair beside the hospital bed. Allowing himself to glance around the room he noticed the lack of any sort of visitors. No ‘Get Well!’ cards, no cheesy stuffed animals with casts, no sign that anyone aside from the doctors and nurses had been in to check on him.

Nothing about that sat right with the Prince, but he kept his mouth shut as he watched Cor shifting to look over at him.

“I need to get back to work. I can’t just sit around doing nothing,” Cor said simply, looking back down at the shirt that was thwarting him from achieving such a goal. “I’ve got a job to do and an oath to follow.”

Regis felt struck for anything to say to that, especially with the conviction with which Cor had spoken. This sixteen year old kid was trying to sneak out of his hospital room after sustaining such an injury to get back to a job that most grown men couldn’t handle.   
  
“Don’t you think rushing ahead like this is a bit rash?” he asked after a moment, trying to find the right words to get him to see that what he was doing only going to cause more harm than good, “You need to rest. I doubt you’d be able to pick up a pencil at this point let alone a sword. The last thing we need is for you to hurt yourself more when you should be focusing on trying to get better.”

Apparently even if his words had been meant to calm and reassure the young man, they had done the exact opposite. Those piercing blue eyes were trained back on him and the mask of indifference he wore was now cracking with a barely concealed look of determination.

“If I can’t use my right arm, I’ll use my left. If I can’t pick up a sword I can still be a pawn or diversion. I have a duty to uphold to the King and I refuse to let him down,” he spoke, his voice leaving no room for argument.

However, Regis were more than willing to try. Clarus could attest to his stubbornness and inability to just leave something be.

Stepping closer the Prince shook his head as he stood to his full height.

“You will be of no use if you don’t take the time to rest and recover. You’d be more of a hindrance than a help if you try to go back to stand by his side,” he shot back and the determination that had been in Cors eyes now turned to anger.

“Why do you care?!” Cor shouted back, finally standing to face the man head on, his shirt still clenched in his left hand as his arm trembled. “Aren’t I merely the  _ ‘kid’  _ to you? The one who lacks merit and credentials? Why do you care if I rest and recover?! I need to get back to my job before I can be cast aside!” As soon as the last words left his mouth he blanched, gripping his shoulder and growling as a wave of pain moved through his arm, making his knees go weak threatening to drop him to the floor.

Regis instantly moved around the bed, wrapping his arm around Cors waist to help him sit back on the bed. Unsure of how much more his guilt ridden heart could take at this point.

_ He _ was the reason Cor was hurt.

_ He _ was the reason the young man was trying so hard to get back to his job.

Cor thought that Regis was going to take this moment of weakness to replace him. To remove him from a station that he’d earned through harsher means than Regis had ever even tried to imagine.

Once he’d gotten Cor settled back on the bed he took a seat next to him, neither man really all that familiar with talking so plainly and so openly about matters of this nature.

“I… owe you an apology, Cor,” Regis finally spoke, breaking the silence between them, his eyes still cast down to the floor. “I judged you before knowing you and I never made the attempt to get to know you better. I measured your worth based on only what I could see and that was incredibly shallow and unbecoming of myself.”

Cor glanced over at the Prince and shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize, your Highness,” he said quietly. “You’re not the first person to say those things and you won’t be the last. I know that I’m young… that there are others out there who have more experience than I do and that’s why I take everything I do so seriously. It’s why I work so hard. I will not falter. I will not let down my King.”

Regis nodded at that and turned to look at the young man beside him, offering him a little smile. “I still owe you an apology for my words. And I also owe you my thanks for saving my life. For a kid you have a mean tackle,” Regis offered lightly, watching as the barest hint of a smile appeared over Cor’s features before the younger man shook his head.

“For a Prince you have a poor sense of self preservation,” Cor said back, but the heat in his voice from earlier was replaced with something lighter that only made Regis smile more.

“I’d argue with you, but Clarus has already reminded me countless times that I’m an idiot for what I did so I’m afraid I don’t have it in me to try and counter your point,” he said, earning himself an honest to gods chuckle from Cor who winced as his shoulder jostled, making Regis frown instantly.

“It’s alright, your Highness. I’ll be fine,” he reassured and Regis nodded, relaxing only marginally.

“If you say so,” he offered though until he knew that Cor was out of here and back at the Citadel he probably wouldn’t be resting easy for some time. “I should probably leave you so you can rest and… I hope you can believe me when I say that I have absolutely no intention of trying to replace you in your absence.”

Cor paused a moment, looking over the Prince as if weighing and measuring him before giving a small nod. “I believe you, your Highness,” he promised, making Regis wrinkle his nose.

“You don’t always have to use my title, Cor. You can call me Regis..,”

“Or Prince Charmless. Whatever suits you at the time,” came a voice from the doorway making both men turn to see Clarus entering the room.

Regis thought he heard a little snort come from beside him, but he was too busy glaring at his Shield to enjoy the fact.

“First of all, I have more charm in my pinky then you have in your whole body. Second of all, aren’t you supposed to be my most loyal retainer? How could you betray me like this!” he asked, making Clarus roll his eyes.

“I betrayed nothing. I think Cor already knows more than enough about you, but we have to get back to the Citadel. We’re still under strict orders right now while the investigations continuing,” he said honestly to which Regis nodded.

“Alright,” he agreed, turning back to Cor and seeing that look of determination back on his face. Obviously hearing that there was still all of this going on, it must’ve reignited the fire in him to get out. Regis instantly noticed and knew he had to take action before another bid for freedom happened.

“I’ll be taking this,” he said simply, reaching over and taking the shirt that Cor had been battling earlier and tucking it under his arm as he stood to move toward Clarus.  
  
Cor watched him with wide eyes, surprised by the quick movement.

Regis turned back to him with a smile and quirk of his eyebrow. “We are fine while you recover, Cor. I trust you will stay here and look after yourself in the time being. I'm merely taking this as insurance,” he said, lifting the shirt back up and handing it to Clarus who took it with a confused look.

Cor could only shake his head, but a little smile did appear. “Understood, your Hig-.... Regis,” he said after a moment and Regis could only smile more at that.

“We’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll make Clarus sneak in some palatable food for you as well. I’ve seen what they serve here and I don’t think it’s befitting of a bodyguard to the Crown,” he said simply as Clarus glared at the back of his head. “Until then, rest. We’ll speak later, Cor.”

With that Regis turned to leave, Clarus following behind them as Cor listened to the bickering down the hall.

“Why are you going to make me sneak in the food?!”

“What? Can you imagine how it would look if the Prince of Lucis was caught smuggling in contraband food to a patient? It would be unseemly.”

“You’re already unseemly.”

Cor couldn’t help chuckling a bit more as he listened to the sounds of the two moving down the hall and after a moment of thought he did move to settle himself back down in the bed, allowing himself a moment to focus on getting better.

\----------------------------------------------

By the time Cor was released from the hospital he had to get help from one of the nurses to carry out some of the get well trinkets that had slowly collected in his room. A couple of ‘Get Well’ cards, a ridiculous looking stuffed chocobo with a cast on its arm that said ‘I hope you’re O-kweh!’ as well as a few other odds and ends that he had received from the King, the Crown Prince and his Shield.

Today was his first day back at the Citadel and he had been surprised to find quite a number of people greeting and welcoming him back with a warmth he’d never really experienced before. It appeared that his heroism on the balcony had made the news and his bravery had been the talk of the Citadel for awhile.

Needless to say he didn’t allow it to get to his head as he fell right back into his duties. After reporting back to King Mors who welcomed him back to his post, he found himself stationed outside his offices as he met with an Ambassador from Altissia in regards to some Nif activities.

Standing watch he could hear the echoing footsteps of people bustling from place to place, small bits of conversation drifting past and easily ignored until he heard his name.

“Can you believe Cor’s back?” a nasally voice echoed from down the hallway to the left. 

“Yeah, the little soldier that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’d have thought he’d have been replaced by now!” Another voice spoke up after the second, this one a bit deeper, but no more pleasant than the first.

“Well he should be, shouldn’t he? I mean, who is the King trying to fool? He’s what? Sixteen? It’s an embarrassment. After that whole debacle on the balcony you’d think he would’ve been pushed out!”

“Exactly! What kind of soldier gets hit that easily? He should’ve used a warp to cover the Prince, everyone knows that! It’s elementary stuff!”

“Well he’s a child so he’ll make childish mistakes. It’s just lucky that his lack of skills didn’t lead to someone getting killed. I mean, yeah the bullet grazed him, but really if it had been me...”

Cor felt a familiar ache in his chest that he refused to acknowledge. It was the same old thing regardless of what he did. Behind everyone’s smiling facades and fake words there was always this doubt about him. That he was nothing more than a child playing soldier.

“And what if it had been you?” a booming voice asked, even startling Cor out of his thoughts as he heard it.

It sounded like Regis.

And the Prince sounded  _ pissed. _

“Oh, u-uh… y-your Highness! I was only saying…,” the nasally voice began before the sound of crackling could be heard and a yelp soon to follow. Refusing to abandon his station outside the door, Cor could only wonder what was happening around the corner when he saw two figures come backing up around it, their hands raised placatingly as Regis followed, eyes glowing in a way that spoke of the Crystals magic.

Judging by the static making the two Crownsguards hair rise, they must’ve just bore witness to bit of elemental magic at the hands of the Prince and now were fleeing lest it be used on them.

“I heard what you were saying,” Regis spoke, his words low and dark, the wrath of Ramuh written all over his features.

Even Cor had to admit the look in his eyes was foreboding.

“If memory serves didn’t I see you, Inbellis, turning and running as soon as the commotion started? And Fugio, if I recall correctly it took the reassurance of two of our Glaives to get you to leave the safety of the women's bathrooms after this all transpired. So don’t you  _ dare _ to critique the actions of another far more capable soldier when you failed so miserably in your own stations!”

The hall shook with the force of his words and was enough to send both Crownsguard running for their lives lest they literally meet their end here under the wrath of the Crown Prince.

Cor watched them race past, their footsteps soon disappearing down the opposite end of the hall, momentarily struck for what to think of what he’d just witnessed.

“Was it really necessary to singe the tapestry to make your point?”

The voice of the Crowned Princes Shield broke through and Cor turned his head to see Clarus making his way from around the corner looking more amused than anything.

Regis was still fuming in the center of the hall, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

“It was. Let them dare to say something like that again in my presence,” he growled, though as he opened his eyes they no longer held the ethereal glow from the influx of magic. His eyes glanced over to see who had bore witness to his outburst and when he saw it was none other than Cor he instantly had the decency to look sheepish and his cheeks tinged pink.

Clarus noticed the change and turning his head he saw the young Crownsguard staring at them in a bit of shock and awe and couldn’t help chuckling, a beaming smile on his face at what had just happened.

“You got yourself a bit of a fan now, Cor!” he called over as Regis instantly turned around and shushed him before turning back around to face the young soldier.

“We were coming down to see how your first day back was going and… I overheard those two idiots. I’m afraid my temper got the best of me,” he explained simply.

Cor was still a bit shocked at having witnessed the Prince standing up for him. This was an entirely new realm that he had never been in before and so he wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“It’s alright. As I said before… I’m used to it. They won’t be the last,” Cor said, trying to brush it off, only to be met with a look from Regis that made him realize he might have said the wrong thing.

“If I have anything to do about it, it will be,” the Crown Prince promised. “You have more merit and more heart than most of the men who serve us. If they take issue with you then they take issue with me.”

Something in Cor’s chest warmed to hear such words. He’d worked hard to make it here and to do his job. He’d sacrificed a lot in his young life and to be recognized for his work and to be offered this… camaraderie… was unexpected, but something he realized he’d cherish and carry with him.

“Thank you, your Highness,” Cor said, bowing to the Prince, missing Regis’ embarrassed look and hearing Clarus chuckle.

“Hey… what did we discuss the other day?” the Shield asked with a quirked brow as Cor straightened and the young Crownsguard couldn’t help but to fight a smile.

“Oh! Right. Thank you, Prince Charmless,” he offered instead, watching as Regis’s embarrassed expression turned to one of shock as he turned to face Clarus.

“Look at what you’ve done! You’ve warped his innocent young mind! How am I supposed to be respected when I am surrounded by people like you?!” the Prince complained as Clarus continued to laugh at his expression.

Cor couldn’t help chuckling a bit more before shaking his head and standing back at his post.

“Okay. I think you two are just trying to distract me from my job now. Beat it,” he said, his stone faced mask back on even as his eyes sparkled a bit in mirth.

Clarus and Regis both slowly turned to face him.

“Dear Clarus I think we’ve just been issued a challenge,” Regis said, quirking an eyebrow. “If young Cor here thinks we’re ‘trying’ to distract him I’m afraid we have no choice but to continue until we succeed. What do you think?”

Clarus hummed in thought, before nodding. “I’m afraid I don’t see another option. It wouldn’t do for a bodyguard of the King to be easily distracted. We’ll have to do our best from now on.”

Regis smiled smugly even as Cor quirked an eyebrow at the two of them.

“You have been warned, Leonis. You called down the thunder… now get ready for the boom,” Regis warned even as a spark of mischief still remained in his own eyes.

The two older man then bid him a good day, though Cor knew that he probably hadn’t seen the last of them.

Upon walking away, Clarus turned to Regis a little smile on his lips.

“What?” Regis asked as he caught sight of the Shield, the man merely shaking his head.

“Nothing,” Clarus assured, though the smile remained. “You’re starting to treat him like a little brother.”

Regis couldn’t help snorting a bit at that, though a smile appeared over his features as well. “And?” he prompted, looking back over to Clarus.

“And… I’m glad to see that you’ve managed to get off of your pedestal long enough to see the worth of someone lies past their looks and age,” he said simply, watching as Regis’s expression changed, his expression softening.

“I deserve that. But you’re right. I shouldn’t have acted as I did in the past, but that will never happen again,” he promised with a little nod before shaking his head, a look of determination on his face once more.

“Now… we need to work on operation distraction! I don’t think lightning will work this time, but I think something colder might suffice,” he said with a little grin that spoke of ill intent.

Thus the Great Snow War of Citadel Tower West began… and so did a lifelong friendship.


End file.
